Scenes of the Norwegian team arriving back home after the World Cup reveal the amazing value sport can have in bringing a country together over the course of weeks. From the Norwegian Parliament to nursing homes and elementary schools, national pride and appreciation of the team were on full display as we saw daily videos of the collective “bomp bomp” of the drum and subsequent rowing motion.

Contrast this with the epic implosion of the USA team who appeared to play afraid in their Round of 16 match against Belgium. The weight of expectation clearly polluted their performance. Watching the semi-final, I saw this with England as well. They exchanged their aggressive push-forward strategy for a protect-the-lead defensive mindset, allowing Argentina to simply tee off over and over again.

Expectations have been the catalyst for underperformance of many athletes when they wear their national jersey. When you wear the national kit you feel the weight of a nation on your shoulders. How you frame expectations and the lens through which you gaze will determine the performance. Will you falter due to a moment of underperformance that unravels the fabric of the full event? Or will you be anchored down in the micro commitments needed to perform at your best throughout the tournament?

Argentina embraces and exemplifies the philosophy I employ as a coach. Keep working and fight to the end no matter what. This is a catalyst to play freely as the expectation is process-oriented. Despite losing the final Argentina scored 12 goals after the 75th minute, eight of which were scored after 90 minutes. We saw this freedom of play displayed by Cape Verde as well. They were the only team not to lose to Spain and held off Argentina for 90 minutes. When expectations are grounded in the blue-collar mentality of do work, grounded in a fight-to-the-end mentality, freedom to be one’s best ensues.

In addition, unselfishness and a collective mentality matter. Great teams have individuals who understand their role can also perform well. Messi didn’t score, but he was given the freedom to serve the ball, leading to his two assists in the semi-final, including from his weak foot, a right-footed precision cross for a header that deflated the entire nation of England.

I have seen talented athletes embrace a lane-play plan they knew didn’t suit their “A” game, knowing this would give some pins away for them but would while lift the collective performance, leading to a higher collective score and performance. True, we prepare to help everyone be more comfortable with the uncomfortable, but the truth is everyone has their favourite zones to play. When everyone plays in the same zone, we can more proactively move, leading to higher overall scores. On the other side, I have seen first-hand the ugly selfishness resulting in pouting and anger, which undermined the team’s performance. With a selfish response, the team becomes distracted.

Being a good teammate on the lanes is key for us. This goes two ways. When one makes a mistake or underperforms, I want them to be aware of their facial expressions and body language. An athlete can bring the entire team down with anger or frustration. Outcome expectations can lead one astray from being in the now as they feel they have let down the team.

The truth is, acting this way can lead others to be distracted and emotional. When you make a mistake, bring positive energy. Look at your team-mates and say, “Let’s go!” not be immature and pout. On the other side, when you see a team-mate make a mistake, watch how you respond. They didn’t intend to make a mistake, so they need their team-mates’ positive energy and support to remain present with the team. A selfish response can lead to infighting and a distraction from a commitment to process and remaining in the now.

The Games tenpin bowling field is strong with many regional bowling powers participating. We have prepared and now we need to be disciplined in the process. In the end, the medals will be decided by nations knocking down the most pins. I never set outcome expectations because it often pollutes our process with toxic outcome expectations.

Historically, when my bowlers have embraced process orientation in major events, we have performed at our best, what we can control. A podium is never guaranteed, but performing freely is always a prerequisite to be one’s best.